Why Coaches Must Avoid Carrot and Stick Motivation
Coaches must avoid carrot and stick motivation with very few exceptions. Contrary to popular belief, carrot and stick motivation will drive more behaviors coaches don’t want than behaviors coaches do want.
The reason for this is that carrot and stick motivation promotes short-term tactical thinking over long term strategic thinking. However, that’s not the worst of it. Short term tactical thinking not in the context of long-term strategic thinking has one particularly dangerous side effect.
When an athlete locks in on earning a reward or avoiding a punishment, then that’s the only thing that matters to them. These short-term blinders will narrow their vision and cloud their judgement.
For example, when a coach thinks that fear is the only way to motivate good behavior, the reality may actually be that the fear is motivating bad behavior. Lying, cheating, or using illegal performance enhancers just to name a few behaviors athletes may resort to. The reverse of this example is also true. Rewarding athletes for the wrong reasons can drive lying and cheating as well for similar reasons.
What’s more, when athlete’s get away with unethical behavior with no consequences the unethical behavior then becomes their norm. There are countless examples of this in professional sports. From athletes drafted at the top of their class to only flame out due to a lack of motivation, to those who get suspended over and over for using performance enhancers, often the root cause of their bad behavior started with how they were motivated in their adolescent years.
Without doubt, motivating athletes requires more than a temporary solution. In the long-term, there will be no progress unless coaches find the root cause of an athlete’s struggles with motivation.